young writers unsolved winners

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This contest is now closed.

Unsolved 2023, middle & high years, engaging creative writing activity to take part in today.

Your students are invited into the gripping world of crime and mystery writing... 

Your classroom will be buzzing as your students use the story starters to get their ideas flowing and then they can use the entry form to write their thrilling tales.  

This is the perfect theme to allow them to explore different characters, settings, and plots. Will they solve a cold case, write an original mystery or make sure justice is served? 

With the thrilling theme, amazing prizes up for grabs and the opportunity to be published Unsolved will engage and inspire even the most reluctant writers. 

Get started by checking out the free resources available to download, including 4 different activities, story starters, and a presentation! (Or use the Google Slides version instead!)

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BBC Short Story Awards

Winner of the bbc young writers’ award 2021: tabitha rubens.

Tabitha Rubens, 19, from London, has won the BBC Young Writers’ Award 2021 with Cambridge University (YWA) for ‘ Super-Powder ’, a story written after the winter lockdown when young people were struggling with their mental health and self-esteem. Exposing modern society’s exploitation of insecurities for profit, the story was praised by the judges for its ‘spirit of adventure’ and its ‘distinct voice’ with Tabitha called ‘a serious talent’ by writer and judge, Louise O’Neill. The news was announced live on BBC Radio 4 Front Row this evening (Tuesday 19 October) .

“ I wrote ‘ Super-Powder’ in April, after the winter lockdown. Mental health in the UK, particularly amongst young people, has been steadily worsening for some time. During the pandemic, when there were few ways for those struggling to seek help, the situation was only exacerbated, with devastating effects for self-esteem and well-being. Seeing how this affected my friends and family, I wanted to write a story that emphasised the baselessness of most insecurities. Many people make a lot of money from exploiting these insecurities and promoting unrealistic and constantly changing ideals. I also wanted to play around with the structure of the story to underpin the theme. The words move around on the page so that the reader has to shift their gaze to follow them. I wanted to try not only to make the story more engaging to read, but also to mirror the way your attention is manipulated on social media platforms, including by targeted adverts.”

Currently studying Chinese at the University of Cambridge, Tabitha was previously shortlisted for the Award in 2018. She also won the HG Wells International Short Story Competition in 2020.

Commenting on Tabitha’s win Mercury Prize winner and YWA 2021 judge, Arlo Parks said , “ What I love about ‘Super-Powder’ is its spirit of adventure, it’s sharp, it’s slightly surreal and the writer’s voice is absolutely original. I see a bright future ahead.”

Fellow judge, award-winning writer, Louise O’Neill says:

“I was so impressed by the quality of the shortlist for the Young Writers’ Award – the incredible skill displayed belied their youth – and I’m excited to see the work they produce in the future. ‘ Super-Powder’ stood out from my very first reading. It was fresh, original, and confident, and evoked so much in a couple of sentences – something many established writers still strive to achieve! Tabitha is a serious talent and I’m delighted that this is our winning story”

‘ Super-Powder’ is available to listen to on BBC Sounds and the BBC Radio 1 website along with the other shortlisted stories. Tabitha will be interviewed about her win on Radio 1’s Life Hacks on Sunday 24 th Octobe r, and will be mentored by acclaimed Irish author, Louise O’Neill as part of her prize.

Katie Thistleton, BBC Radio 1 presenter and Chair of Judges for BBC YWA 2021 says:

“ Tabitha’s story really stayed with me. It’s clever, original, and memorable with an important message. When you’re reading it, you can completely visualise what is happening which is so difficult to achieve. I was awestruck by the writer’s abilities, and I’m so pleased all the judges agreed that Tabitha should be our well-deserving winner. I want to read more from this exciting new talent!” 

Tabitha beat stiff competition from Luca Anderson-Muller , 18, from Belfast for ‘ Fatigued ’; Isabella Yeo Frank , 18, from London for ‘ Another Boring Friday Night ’; Eleanor Ware , 17, from Bedfordshire for ‘ Blood and Water ’ and Madeleine Whitmore , 16, from Bath for ‘ Pomodoro (and Nasturtium Seeds) ’.

Now in its seventh year, The BBC Young Writers’ Award with Cambridge University 2021 is open to all writers between the ages of 14 –18 years and was created to discover and inspire the next generation of writers. A cross-network collaboration between BBC Radio 4 and Radio 1, it has quickly built a reputation for discovering the literary stars of the future with one of Tabitha’s fellow 2018 cohort, Reyah Martin , winning the 2020 Canada/Europe Commonwealth Short Story Prize aged just 20. In 2019, inaugural YWA winner Brennig Davies won the coveted Crown literary prize at the Urdd Eisteddfod – a Welsh language cultural festival.

This year’s judging panel was chaired by Radio 1 presenter Katie Thistleton. She was joined by Mercury Prize winner, singer-songwriter Arlo Parks ; the highly acclaimed Irish author, Louise O’Neill ; Sunday Times bestselling author and actor Robert Webb ; and Guardian Children’s Fiction Award winner Alex Wheatle .

Bonnie Lander Johnson, Newnham College , and Elizabeth Rawlinson-Mills, Faculty of Education , Cambridge University, say:

“The Young Writers’ Award is a brilliant opportunity for emerging storytellers to develop their craft. Young writers of all backgrounds have the chance to access skills and learning from industry and educators, in order to shape their abilities, find their voice, and explore writing as a career. This year’s winning story, ‘Super Powder’, shares the quality of some of the most brilliant short stories of having not a word out of place, no detail superfluous, appearing artless. Its fable-like simplicity is skilfully complicated by the rage that bubbles up at the harms inflicted by society and the media. The writing shimmers with poetic rhythms and resonances: Tabitha Rubens is clearly a young writer to watch.”

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Winners of the inaugural Martha Mills prize for young writers announced

Judges praised the ‘staggering amount of talent on display’ in entries to the competition launched by the London Review Bookshop for writers aged 11 to 14

The winners of the inaugural Martha Mills prize for young writers have been chosen from more than 1,000 entrants.

Izzy Cooper, Flynn Alexander Hampson and Mabel Swift have been announced as the winners of the award, which was launched by the London Review Bookshop and open to writing by 11-14 year olds.

“The young writers showed immense talent – sparks of literary imagination were flying everywhere,” read the announcement , posted on the London Review Bookshop blog. Each winner will receive £200 and a selection of books, and have their work published in a prize pamphlet.

The prize was set up in memory of the daughter of Merope Mills, editor of the Guardian’s Saturday magazine, and Paul Laity, an editor at the London Review of Books. Martha, who was a keen writer, died in 2021 aged 13.

The award sought “lively, unusual or otherwise original” writing on the theme of “The Stranger”. Young writers were invited to submit a piece of prose of up to 500 words. The judging panel for the first year of the competition comprised Mills and Laity, the London Review Bookshop’s Gayle Lazda and the writer Katherine Rundell.

The runners up, who will also be published in the pamphlet, are Nicholas Bailey, Christabel Fletcher, Martha Gibbins, Anastasis Henningham, Hugo Hodson, Grace Osei-Wusu, A Pancho, Magdalena Pietravalle, Aadam Qureshi, Leo Smith and Theo Berrisford Sweet.

“The best of the entries had an original vision or interpretation and managed in a short piece to fully realise it, with a highly accomplished style and wit, often subverting our expectations,” said Laity and Mills.

“It was hugely pleasurable to read all the entries for the prize”, they added. “We were transported by chases down dark alleyways, aliens, amnesia, quite a bit of violence and some really nasty parents. There was plenty of ‘stranger danger’ but also welcome and sophisticated reminders of our obligations to people unknown to us, and different.”

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The three winners “blew us away”, they said, describing Mabel Swift’s piece about a mysterious dancing stranger as “lyrical and expressive” with a “timeless, mythic quality”. Meanwhile Flynn Alexander Hampson’s entry was one of many the panel read that explored dementia and people becoming strangers to themselves and others. In Flynn’s work this theme was “particularly well achieved and surprising”, Mills and Laity said, showing “impressive maturity”. And Izzy Cooper’s tale explored AI “with such a light touch and a delightful twist”.

“There was a staggering amount of talent on display – we hope not only the winners but all the entrants will carry on writing.”

The prize is set to run annually, and next year children’s author Philip Pullman will sit on the judging panel.

Mills and Laity said that Martha’s “great curiosity and imagination” inspired the new award. “Every birthday and Christmas our daughter Martha would ask for the same presents: a notebook and a snow globe.”

“By the time she died, aged 13, she was an enthusiastic writer with dozens of snow globes and piles of notebooks bursting with book ideas.”

Details of how to order the pamphlet featuring the winning stories will be announced soon, according to the London Review Bookshop website.

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Announcing the 2023 Young Writers Contest Winners

KET is pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 Young Writers Contest . The annual contest encourages creative expression and literacy development by inviting students in grades Pre-K through high school to submit original graphic novels, illustrated stories, poetry and short stories.

For this year’s contest, KET received 2,457 submissions from students across Kentucky—more than double the number of entries from a year before!

The top three winners, along with a list of finalists for each division, are listed below. Click on each title to read full versions of the winning entries below!

And the Winners Are…

Graphic novel.

• First Place: Lucie McCaffrey, SCAPA at Bluegrass, Lexington, Fayette County with “The Wish”
• Second Place: Sylvia Mason, Noe Middle School, Louisville, Jefferson County with “Reclaiming”
• Third Place: Chloe Iranpour, Eastern Elementary, Georgetown, Scott County with “The Dragon”
• Finalist, Alexa Vaughan, Rineyville Elementary School, Rineyville, Hardin County with “Lost! A Survival Story”
• Finalist, Robert Zahniser, Beechwood Elementary School, Fort Mitchell, Kenton County with “Portal”
• Finalist, Callie Creech, Letcher County Central High School, Whitesburg, Letcher County with “Ben and Adrian”
• Finalist, Hannah Fiorello, Custer Elementary, Big Spring, Breckinridge County with “Secret Dovie Is On A Roll”
• Finalist, Maddie Schreiner, Lexington Christian, Richmond, Madison County with “Shoot for the Top”
• Finalist, Lainey Doane, Brenda Cowan Elementary School, Lexington, Fayette County with “The Toxic Teddy Bear and Ninja Girl”
• Finalist, Arizona Cloyd, Garrard Middle School, Lancaster, Garrard County with “The Thorn”
• Finalist, Samara “Mo” Mullins, Hogsett Primary School, Danville, Boyle County with “Axolotl Tries to find a Friend”
• Finalist, Emily Ross, Lincoln Elementary Performing Arts, Louisville, Jefferson County with “The Hairdresser”
• Finalist, Abigail Horn, Lighthouse Academy, Madison County with “Fedora Girl”
• Finalist, Emily Gibbs, Letcher County Central High School, Whitesburg, Letcher County with “Shifting Blame”
• Finalist, Harper Crosby, Lafayette High School, Lexington, Fayette County with “Pictures of You”

Illustrated Story

Early childhood division.

• First Place: Rouen Inouye Adams, Hogsett Primary School, Danville, Boyle County with “The Jelly Bean Toilet”
• Second Place: Penelope Reynolds, Homeschool, Lexington, Fayette County with “It’s okay to be different”
• Third Place: Kinsley Iocco, Iocco Homeschool, Walton, Boone County with “The Lost Baby Rose”
• Finalist, Hadiyah Gauhar, St Matthews Elementary, Louisville, Jefferson County with “The Runaway Blueberry”
• Finalist, Mia Lancaster, Glenn Marshall Elementary, Richmond, Madison County with “The Sloth Unicorn”
• Finalist, Luke Banks, Calvary Christian School, Winchester, Clark County with “The Ninja Warrior”
• Finalist, Luna Xia, Providence Montessori, Lexington, Fayette County with “John and George”
• Finalist, Norah Anderson, Hogsett Primary School, Danville, Boyle County with “The Strawbearie Cake”
• Finalist, Rilyn Steele, Hogsett Primary School, Danville, Boyle County with “The Flying Car”
• Finalist, Saoirse Harney, Hogsett Primary School, Danville, Boyle County with “The Three Little Kitties and the Big Bad Dog”
• Finalist, Advita Mishra, Tully Elementary School, Louisville, Jefferson County with “A Snow Day”
• Finalist, Charlie Abdelahad, Dunn Elementary, Louisville, Jefferson County with “Robo-Dude: Night of Shadow”
• Finalist, Laken Gullett, Burgin Independent School, Burgin, Mercer County with “Creeped Out”

Elementary Division

• First Place: Maryam Gauhar, Greathouse Shryock Elementary, Louisville, Jefferson County with “A Mother’s Love”
• Second Place: Flora Barker, Model Laboratory School, Richmond, Madison County with “Fish Cat Adventures: Cooking Disaster”
• Third Place: Caroline Reynolds, Homeschool, Lexington, Fayette County with “The Squirrel Man”
• Finalist, Wriston Iocco, Iocco Homeschool, Walton, Boone County with “Noah’s Quest”
• Finalist, Audrey Dakin, G.C. Burkhead Elementary, Elizabethtown, Hardin County with “Octie Tries Something New”
• Finalist, Nathan Hardin, Hardin Homeschool, Louisville, Jefferson County with “The treasure at the end of the rainbow”
• Finalist, Dorothy Dobson, Bloom Elementary, Louisville, Jefferson County with” Eggo’s Adventure”
• Finalist, Hannah Adams, Harlan Elementary, Harlan, Harlan County with “The Brave Hannah”
• Finalist, Aubrey Lowe, Holy Family Catholic School, Ashland, Boyd County with “Hearts”
• Finalist, Josie King, Williamstown Elementary School, Williamstown, Grant County with “The Adventures of Merlin”
• Finalist, Maya Ayoub, Brenda Cowan Elementary School, Lexington, Fayette County with “Sizzling Star and the Perfect Planet”
• Finalist, Apollo Darnell, Holy Family Catholic School, Ashland, Boyd County with “The Life of Apollo”
• Finalist, Lucy Stewart, Pondview Academy, Eubank, Pulaski County with “Calculator the Annihilator”

Intermediate Division

• First Place: Caitlin Moynahan, Rosa Parks Elementary, Lexington, Fayette County with “The Color Race”
• Second Place: Aaron Cottongim, Glasscock Elementary, Lebanon, Marion County with “Ferociously Hungry Giant”
• Third Place: Aubree Newman, Adairville School, Adairville, Logan County with “The Brightest Black Hole”
• Finalist, Kendyl Nickell, Williamstown Elementary School, Williamstown, Grant County with “The Adventures of Cookie Dough”
• Finalist, Brittany Ramage, Central Elementary, Benton, Marshall County with “Take to the Skies”
• Finalist, Annistyn Flynn, Model Laboratory School, Richmond, Madison County with “Poppy and Her Adventure With Her New Friends”
• Finalist, Jocelin Ortiz-Melton, W.R. McNeill Elementary School, Bowling Green, Warren County with “When She Was Born”
• Finalist, Ava Williams, Laurel Elementary School, Vanceburg, Lewis County with “Mossy VS Rebel”
• Finalist, Grace Hardin, Hardin Homeschool, Louisville, Jefferson County with “After Dark”
• Finalist, Lydia Wilson, North Washington Elementary School, Springfield, Washington County with “Barnyard Banter”
• Finalist, Lyla Helton, South Floyd Elementary, Melvin, Floyd County with “Olivia and the Wolf”
• Finalist, Kayla Gloeckler, Stopher Elementary, Louisville, Jefferson County with “How Do You Make a Wish?”
• Finalist, Kylee Kinsel, Laurel Elementary School, Vanceburg, Lewis County with “Cam and the Flower”

Upper Grades Division

• First Place: Abigail McDougal, Letcher County Central High School, Blackey, Letcher County with “The Gift of a Flower”
• Second Place: Hanna Zamana, Campbell County Middle School, Highland Heights, Campbell County with “The Deceitful Concert”
• Third Place: Jenny Young Lee, Newburg Middle School, Louisville, Jefferson County with “How Do I Love Myself at Last?”
• Finalist, Zella Robertson, North Oldham Middle School, Prospect, Oldham County with “On the Island”
• Finalist, Jubilee Bodager, Bodager Homeschool, Frankfort, Franklin County with “And the Storm Passed”
• Finalist, Cooper Byron, Model Laboratory School, Richmond, Madison County with “Despicable Duchess Goes to Michigan”
• Finalist, Keira Hamilton, James D. Adams Middle School, Prestonsburg, Floyd County with “Thank You”
• Finalist, Zadee Kenzer, Newburg Middle School, Louisville, Jefferson County with “Vivid Visions”
• Finalist, Annie Halbig, Burns Middle School, Owensboro, Daviess County with “Holly’s Trip to Grandma’s”
• Finalist, Vidhi Patel, Newburg Middle School, Louisville, Jefferson County with “The First Step”
• Finalist, Rebekah McAuley, Letcher County Central High School, Whitesburg, Letcher County with “A Boy’s Best Friend”
• Finalist, Ambrose Fetzner, Crosby Middle School, Louisville, Jefferson County with “Trickle the Space Pickle and the Nickel”
• Finalist, Lucas Glasnovic, Hollow Tree Middle School, Louisville, Jefferson County with “Shelly the Smelly Skunk”
• Finalist, Rebekah Russ, Crosby Middle School, Louisville, Jefferson County with “Sun of the Shade”
• Finalist, Jeffzalli Melo, Southern Middle School, Lexington, Fayette County with “The Very Rude Dog Toy”

Short Story

Early grades division.

• First Place: Susannah Goodrich, Goodrich Home School, Frankfort, Franklin County with “The Courageous Explorers”
• Second Place: Jacie Lillpop, Kingdom Academy of the Bluegrass, Frankfort, Franklin County with “Cook Away”
• Third Place: Lily Goessling, St. Michael School, Louisville, Jefferson County with “The Lost Birds”
• Finalist, Aubrey Wright, Lebanon Elementary, Campbellsville, Marion County with “Ainsley’s Adventure – My Side of the Story”
• Finalist, Lucy Stewart, Pondview Academy, Eubank, Pulaski County with “Stewart’s Winter Surprise”
• Finalist, Acey Houchens, Red Cross Elementary, Glasgow, Barren County with “How To Train Your Big Sister: A Little Sister’s Guide To Success”
• Finalist, Beau Schweickhardt, Hogsett Primary School, Danville, Boyle County with “Beau the Brilliant”
• Finalist, Riley May, Flat Gap Elementary, Flat Gap, Johnson County with “The German Potato”
• Finalist, Alexandria Akers, South Floyd Elementary, Wheelwright, Floyd County with “The Evil Robot Attack”
• Finalist, Gloria Lee, Chenoweth Elementary School, Louisville, Jefferson County with “Holiday Unicorns – Esther, the Easter Unicorn”
• Finalist, Keeden Day, Model Laboratory School, Richmond, Madison County with “Magic Waffles”
• Finalist, Anishka Sherigar, Model Laboratory Schools, Richmond, Madison County with “The Lost Princess”
• Finalist, Ellie Grace Barton, Hodgenville Elementary School, Hodgenville, LaRue County with “BACK TO SCHOOL AND IT’S NOT COOL”
• Finalist, Latcher Harbison, Red Cross, Glasgow, Barren County with “The Riddle House”
• First Place: Isla Dawahare, Dawahare Family Academy, Lexington, Fayette County with “The Spirit Within”
• Second Place: Lydia Miner, W.R. McNeill Elementary School, Bowling Green, Warren County with “The Tornado”
• Third Place: Zachary Maurmeier, Roby Elementary, Shepherdsville, Bullitt County with “Escaping from Kharkiv”
• Finalist, Matilda McConda, St. Patrick Catholic School, Louisville, Jefferson County with “Choose Kindness”
• Finalist, Neha Chakkaran, Stopher Elementary, Louisville, Jefferson County with “Kentucky State Fair Chaos”
• Finalist, Collier Whitson, Glenn Marshall Elementary School, Richmond, Madison County with “Costs an Arm and a Leg”
• Finalist, Zachary Bayens, Luhr Elementary, Louisville, Jefferson County with “The Food Fight”
• Finalist, Carrie Gladdish, Fairdale Elementary School, Louisville, Jefferson County with “Breathless”
• Finalist, Evan Staley, Central Elementary, Benton, Marshall County with “Richard Goes World Wide”
• Finalist, Franco Schiaretti, Central Elementary, Benton, Marshall County with “He’s Lucky It’s His Job”
• Finalist, Kayleigh Denzik, Vine Grove Elementary School, Vine Grove, Hardin County with “Dust Bunnies”
• Finalist, Nora Tower, Dixie Magnet Elementary School, Lexington, Fayette County with “Because We’re Sisters”

Middle Grades Division

• First Place: Emma Rice, Powell County Middle School, Stanton, Powell County with “If the House Could Tell Our Story”
• Second Place: Kavi Bijayananda, Covington Classical Academy, Hebron, Boone County with “The Chicken War”
• Third Place: Avinash Koul, SCAPA at Bluegrass, Lexington, Fayette County with “Small Black Birds”
• Finalist, Calissa Yao, Louisville Collegiate School, Louisville, Jefferson County with “Guide Him, Mrs. Wang”
• Finalist, Sophia Abshire, Brookefield Prep, Ashland, Boyd County with “Motherly Instincts”
• Finalist, Jiwoo Kim, Model Laboratory School, Richmond, Madison County with “Safe Spaces”
• Finalist, Evie Ewen, Louisville Collegiate School, Louisville, Jefferson County with “The Hunter of Youth”
• Finalist, Amay Xu, SCAPA at Bluegrass, Lexington, Fayette County with “Mother Bird”
• Finalist, Charlotte Garman, St. Albert the Great, Louisville, Jefferson County with “Rapunzel”
• Finalist, Zoe Childs, Austin Tracy Elementary, Glasgow, Barren County with “The Girl and the Tide”
• Finalist, Aleen Bakhos, Model Laboratory, Richmond, Madison County with “Dead or Dying?”

High School (9th-12th)

• First Place: Anna Kersting, Eastern High School, Louisville, Jefferson County with “Blade to Fate”
• Second Place: Hannah Schadler, Lafayette Senior High School, Lexington, Fayette County with “No One Slayed the Jabberwocky”
• Third Place: Isabella Keyzer, Eastern High School, Louisville, Jefferson County with “Learning to Talk”
• Finalist, Kennedy Shiley, Louisville Male High School, Louisville, Jefferson County with “August”
• Finalist, Micah Turner, Letcher County Central High School, Cumberland, Letcher County with “The Runaway”
• Finalist, Jackson Marrillia, Eastern High School, Louisville, Jefferson County with “Flirting with Death”
• Finalist, Piper Smith, Western Hills High School, Frankfort, Franklin County with “Alone”
• Finalist, Larry Brey, Owensboro High School, Owensboro, Daviess County with “Only We”
• Finalist, Amelia Banta, Louisville Male High School, Louisville, Jefferson County with “Losing Fathers”
• Finalist, Caylin Kohlstruk, Eastern High School, Louisville, Jefferson County with “‘Til Death Do Us Part”
• Finalist, Elizabeth Roy, The Frankfort Christian Academy, Frankfort, Franklin County with “The Feelings of Grief”
• Finalist, Francis Jara, Monroe County High School, Tompkinsville, Monroe County with “Room 125”
• Finalist, Morgan Larkins, McLean County High School, Slaughters, Webster County with “monogamy”
• First Place: Rhett Brown, Cassidy Elementary, Lexington, Fayette County with “The Lost Egg”
• Second Place: Franklin Smith, Liberty Elementary, Lexington, Fayette County with “The News on TV”
• Third Place: Garrett Thompson, YHWH Discipleship, Salvisa, Mercer County with “My Bunny”
• Finalist, Aeris White, Alvaton Elementary, Alvaton, Warren County with “The Heart of Life and Winter”
• Finalist, Hugo Villasenor, Saint James Catholic School, Vine Grove, Hardin County with “Soccer”
• Finalist, Namu Lee, Pathfinder School of Innovation, Louisville, Jefferson County with “Bees”
• First Place: Mridula Balaji, Farmer Elementary, Louisville, Jefferson County with “My Family Is There”
• Second Place: Sara Sokolowski, Model Laboratory School, Richmond, Madison County with “A Day in the Life of a Cat”
• Third Place: Theo Sykes, Cassidy, Lexington, Fayette County with “Crazy Shopping Spree”
• Finalist, Eliza Simkoff, Chenoweth Elementary, Louisville, Jefferson County with “Love”
• Finalist, Ruby Stewart, Pondview Academy, Eubank, Pulaski County with “Spring”
• Finalist, Ahaan Agarwal, Greathouse/Shyrock Elementary Traditional school, Louisville, Jefferson County with “Black Hole & Planets”
• Finalist, Cason Thompson, YHWH Discipleship, Salvisa, Mercer County with “I Am a Farmer”
• Finalist, Liam Myers, Garrett Morgan Elementary, Lexington, Fayette County with “2716”
• Finalist, Ava Evans, Tully Elementary School, Louisville, Jefferson County with “A Tree is Losing Its Leaves”
• Finalist, Oliver Braley, Lansdowne Elementary School, Georgetown, Scott County with “Get Money”
• Finalist, Kadence Clark, Glasscock Elementary, Lebanon, Marion County with “In Space”
• Finalist, George Betz, Mary, Queen of Heaven School, Erlanger, Kenton County with “The Green Shirt”
• Finalist, Magathi Velmurugan, Wellington Elementary School, Lexington, Fayette County with “The Best Season of All”
• Finalist, Sophia Meek, Mary, Queen of Heaven School, Erlanger, Kenton County with “The Firefighters”
• First Place: Amarani Blazier, River Ridge Elementary School, Villa Hills, Kenton County with “Does the Red Flower Grow”
• Second Place: Lillian Brooks, Athens-Chilesburg Elementary, Lexington, Fayette County with “Awakening”
• Third Place: Elise Thompson, YHWH Discipleship, Salvisa, Mercer County with “The Ballad of Little Chick”
• Finalist, Carrie Gladdish, Fairdale Elementary School, Louisville, Jefferson County with “I AM”
• Finalist, Currie Cesler, Fort Wright Elementary, Covington, Kenton County with “Sunsets”
• Finalist, Jaini Shah, Stopher Elementary, Louisville, Jefferson County with “Mother Earth”
• Finalist, Lilyana Glickley, Hawthorne Elementary, Louisville, Jefferson County with “From Roots to Shoots”
• Finalist, Margot Fasciotto, Fort Wright Elementary, Taylor Mill, Kenton County with “The Forest of Change”
• Finalist, Arwyn Eldridge, Eldridge Academy, Blackey, Letcher County with “Written in the Stars”
• Finalist, Munira Mohamed, Islamic School Of Louisville, Louisville, Jefferson County with “Believe in Yourself”
• Finalist, Brody Fields, Murray Middle School, Murray, Calloway County with “Quiet”
• Finalist, Grace Broadbent, Sayre School, Lexington, Fayette County with “George Bard”
• Finalist, Darshini Uppugalla, Stopher Elementary, Louisville, Jefferson County with “Nature’s Influence”
• Finalist, Kira Thomas, Oak Grove Classical, Philpot, Daviess County with “The Death and Burial of William the Conqueror”
• Finalist, Yoo Lee, Pathfinder School of School, Louisville, Jefferson County with “The Forest’s Living Things”
• First Place: Amanda Bastidas Diaz, Newburg Middle School, Louisville, Jefferson County with “My Reflection”
• Second Place: Fia Gani, Bowling Green Junior High School, Bowling Green, Warren County with “Perspective”
• Third Place: Addie Sanders, Grayson County Middle School, Leitchfield, Grayson County with “For The Tyrants In My Mind”
• Finalist, Zoe Kasacavage, Winburn Middle School, Richmond, Madison County with “The Perfect Poem”
• Finalist, Maya Carbone, Newburg Middle School, Louisville, Jefferson County with “Melancholy Shower”
• Finalist, Sabir Stephens, Newburg Middle School, Louisville, Jefferson County with “Ancestry”
• Finalist, Ava Bogard, Calloway County Middle School, Murray, Calloway County with “A Magical World”
• Finalist, Noa Biggio, Aloha Academy, Fort Knox, Hardin County with “Noa’s Tale”
• Finalist, Presleigh Hill, Newburg Middle School, Louisville, Jefferson County with “Trouble”
• Finalist, Brady Francke, Henderson County South Middle School, Henderson, Henderson County with “Poetry is Hard”
• Finalist, Lucie McCaffrey, SCAPA Bluegrass, Lexington, Fayette County with “Starry”
• Finalist, Maggie Stone, Noe Middle School, Louisville, Jefferson County with “Diamonds”
• Finalist, Olivia Landry, Walton-Verona Middle School, Walton, Boone County with “The Ghost in the Garden”

High School Division

• First Place: Evelyn Weaver, Lafayette High School, Lexington, Fayette County with “Escape Art”
• Second Place: Laura Gibson, Highlands Latin School, Louisville, Jefferson County with “Sea Bird”
• Third Place: Bethany Creech, Great Crossing High School, Georgetown, Scott County with “The Second Choice”
• Finalist, Caroline Carlisle, Rowan County Senior High School, Morehead, Rowan County with “Listening To Sad Musicals In Math Class”
• Finalist, McKenzie Snellgrove, Woodford County High School, Versailles, Woodford County with “Freedom of the Night”
• Finalist, SF, MH Academy, Louisville, Jefferson County with “Toxic”
• Finalist, A’mareese Esters, Fulton County High School, Hickman, Fulton County with “The Home I Find in Windy Wednesdays”
• Finalist, Jake Peoples, McCracken County High School, Paducah, McCracken County with “The Great Divide”
• Finalist, Leila Greene, Eastern High School, Louisville, Jefferson County with “Goodbye Forever, I Guess”
• Finalist, Madelyn Blakey, Lafayette, Lexington, Fayette County with “Black Joy”
• Finalist, Lexie Wilson, Williamstown JR/SR High School, Williamstown, Grant County with “my life is measured in shades of green”
• Finalist, Isabelle Pittman, McCracken County High School, Paducah, McCracken County with “The Smell of Comfort”
• Finalist, Jenna Longhofer, John Hardin High School, Hodgenville, LaRue County with “Inky Ichor”
• Finalist, AH, MH Academy, Louisville, Jefferson County with “Black Enough”

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2023 Young Writer Award

They are keen to see fresh new voices in young writers' submissions.

Young writer, Jaidyn Groth, won the 2021 Young Writer Award. Kay Mancino won the 2022 Young Writer Award.

T he 2023 Page Turner Awards is now closed.

Get Notified About 2024 Awards

Watch for our finalists announcement.

2023 Young Writer Award Judges

Kenny MacKay is judging the Young Writer Award, hoping to discover more talented teenager writers.

He is an author and host of the Author Your Dream podcast, a show dedicated to helping first-time

Natalia Leigh is judging the Page Turner Young Writer Award with hopes to find writers aged between 18 and 25 who are talented character creators.

Natalia is the managing editor at Enchanted Ink

Jenni Harrison, Editorial Manager for Young Writers is judging the Page Turner Young Writer Award in 2022. Jenni has been an editor with Young Writers for ten years, selecting, editing and judging

As a young aspiring writer herself, Holly Davis is judging our 2023 Young Writer Award. Holly works as a physical therapist by day and a writer by night in Chicago and enjoys playing with her three

Melissa Hope is judging the Page Turner Young Writer Award and is the author of SEA OF KINGS, an award-nominated children's fantasy. She helps aspiring writers improve their craft and connect with

Jordan Kantey is judging the Page Turner Young Writer Award in 2023 with the hope of finding talented young writers aged between 18 and 25 who have intriguing voices.

Jordan is a writer, editor

Hero Brown, the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Muddy Stilettos, is judging the Young Writer Award in 2023.

A national journalist with over 25 years’ experience with top broadsheets and glossy

Blogger and podcaster and reviewer of books, Maya Grimley, is judging the Page Turner Young Writer Award.

She is a blogger and podcaster who reviews all kinds of books and movies. She’s been

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Although we are based and registered in the UK, the Page Turner Awards are open to any authors, writers and screenwriters in the world.

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The 2024 BBC Young Writers’ Award turns 10! Submissions Now Open!

You can now enter the 2024 BBC Young Writers’ Award with Cambridge University. Entries close at 9am (GMT), Monday 25th March 2024. The BBC Young Writers’ Award is open to writers between the ages of 14-18 years.

Entry instructions and t&cs are available here . click here for a privacy notice..

We’re delighted to announce that submissions are now open for the tenth year of the BBC Young Writers’ Award with Cambridge University! All you need to do is write a story of up to 1,000 words – no theme, no subject: as long as it’s a story and it’s all your own work, you can submit it.

Over the past ten years, thousands of young people have sent in their stories for a chance to win this prestigious award, with winning authors going on to win other writing competitions, and even achieve professional book deals for their writing. You’ve got until 25th March 2024 to get your entry in, so get writing!

Chairing the Award for the seventh year is BBC Radio 1 Presenter Katie Thistleton. Katie is a writer and the host of her own weekend show on Radio 1. She also co-hosts Radio 1’s Life Hacks and The Official Chart: First Look and BBC’s Morning Live. Katie says:

“This is a particularly exciting year for the BBC Young Writers’ Award with Cambridge University, as we celebrate the 10th anniversary! I always look forward to reading the stories and being blown away by our young writers’ creativity and talent – no two stories are ever the same. You never know what opportunities being shortlisted or winning an award like this can unlock, so whether you’re a budding professional author or this is your first short story, just get writing!”

For inspiration, you can listen to last year’s winning entry, ‘The Wordsmith’, below.

The Wordsmith by Atlas Weyland Eden (BBC Young Writers' Award Shortlist 2023)

Atlas first wrote a version of this story when he was 14 years old.

You’ll find all last year’s shortlisted stories below, and click here for our resources page full of helpful tips and hints for getting started on your own short story.

Listen to the other shortlisted stories

Fridays by Evie Alam (BBC Young Writers' Award Shortlist 2023)

Creation by Daisy Kaye (BBC Young Writers' Award 2023 Shortlist)

Skipper by Iona McNeish (BBC Young Writers' Award Shortlist 2023)

Jessie's God by Elissa Jones (BBC Young Writers' Award Shortlist 2023)

About the BBC Young Writers’ Award with Cambridge University

Now in its tenth year, the BBC Young Writers’ Award with Cambridge University challenges young people in the UK aged between 14-18 years to submit stories of up to 1,000 words. Submissions for the 2024 award are open until 9am (GMT) Monday 25th March 2024.

Upload your story here

Make sure you've read the Terms & Conditions before hitting submit. Entries close at 9am (GMT) Monday, 25th March 2024.

About the Young Writers' Award Chair

KATIE THISTLETON is a TV and radio presenter, journalist and published author and is best known for her work on BBC Radio 1 and CBBC. Katie presented CBBC’s live continuity on CBBC HQ for over 6 years and also hosted the CBBC Book Club encouraging children to read and interviewing children’s authors. Katie is now the host of her own Radio 1 weekend show and co-host of Radio 1's Life Hacks (Sundays 4-6pm) and The Official Chart: First Look on Radio 1 (Sundays 6-7pm). Katie is a trainee counsellor and ambassador for mental health charities Place2be and YoungMinds.

Need some inspiration?

Want tips on how to write a short story?

Head to our Young Writers' Award resources page for ideas, strategies, tips and advice.

BBC Student Critics

Want to discover + critique exciting new stories? Find out more about BBC Student Critics with Cambridge University by clicking here.

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• Young Writers Award, April 2024

News Release

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High School Students Capture Awards for Creative Writing 

April 9, 2024

Two high school students achieved top honors in Anne Arundel Community College’s inaugural Young Writers Award . Savannah Schweitzer from Northeast High School won the fictional short story category with her piece titled "Fallen Apples.” Michaela Osei from Chesapeake Science Point earned first place in the poetry category for her poem, "Places I Never Knew."

"We're thrilled to offer this award and to encourage young people throughout the county to pursue creative writing,” said Garrett Brown , AACC professor and coordinator of creative writing . “I see it as our mission as the community's college to offer these kinds of opportunities in the too-often-unsupported literary arts."   

The Young Writers Award celebrates outstanding literary pieces from Anne Arundel County students in grades 11 and 12. The judges for this year’s awards included AACC English faculty members Johnny Lew, Ph.D., Katy D’Angelo, Ph.D., and KT Perkins .  

The judges noted that Schweitzer’s story “has an incredible opening line that sets up an emotional metaphor that carries throughout the piece. The writer demonstrates maturity of style, subtly and effectively communicates character development and theme.”  

They commended Osei’s poem for how it “uses concrete imagery and employs skillful use of line and stanza structure to enhance its visual and descriptive language.”  

Both winners will receive a cash prize and their works will be published in Amaranth, AACC’s award-winning journal of literature and the arts. Additionally, Schweitzer, Osei, their high school principals, English teachers and counselors have been invited to Amaranth’s May 9 release celebration.   

Amberlynn Gong from Severna Park High School and Evelyn Holiday from Annapolis High School were the runners-up in the short story category. Maika Ogawa from Crofton High School was the poetry category runner-up.  

Submissions for the 2025 Young Writers Award will open Sept. 15, 2024. 

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